Michigan-based private school operator Fusion Academy is expanding into Texas, starting with schools in Dallas and Plano.

The for-profit education provider’s main differentiator is its one teacher, one student approach, Peter Ruppert, CEO and founder of Fusion Academy, told me in an interview.

“We think the future of education is going to be about customization, specialization and individualization,” Ruppert told me. “We’ve completely re-created what the education model is.”

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Fusion offers sixth through 12th grade and typically attracts students who have been unsuccessful in public school, Ruppert said.

The cost of instruction is based on students needs, but in Dallas and Plano will run about $25,000 to $30,000 per school year, ranking Fusion among the most expensive private schools in North Texas.

Fusion will open its 20th campus in New York City later this month, then open campuses at 2400 North Dallas Parkway in Plano and 8128 Park Lane in Dallas in August, Ruppert said. Those will be the first Fusion schools in Texas, but plans call for one or more school in Houston in late 2014 or early 2015, then schools in Austin and likely San Antonio, the CEO said. The schools are corporate owned as opposed to franchises.

“The commitment to Texas is pretty significant,” Ruppert said.

Most of Fusion’s existing campuses are in California and New York.

The schools will open with 10 to 20 students apiece and grow to their capacity of about 75 students per campus in two years, Ruppert said. At capacity,the schools employ about 35, and Fusion is hiring teachers and other staffers for the Dallas and Plano schools now, he said. Ruppert declined to say how much teachers at Fusuion earn, saying only that their salaries are competitive with other schools in the region.

The name Fusion reflects the school’s focus on both the academic development and emotional development of the student, Ruppert said.

The Dallas area’s demographics and need for options to traditional public schools attracted Fusion to the area, he said.

“When we did our analysis, as part of our process we look at raw population, we look at the general level of education in the populace, we look at the prevalence for families to send their students to private schools,” he said. “When there’s a lot of private schools, that’s a good indicator for us, it shows that people are open to other options.”